Is it better to work for yourself or start a studio? On the downsides of freelancing in design.

Contents:

• By myself
• What's better - overload or overload with an intern?
• Team
• What we became when we grew up

Graduate of the Design Department of the Moscow Power Engineering Institute and a two-year course in Font and Typography at the British Higher School of Art and Design. Currently works in the field of font and graphic design. She is a co-founder of the Byurobookv studio and a teacher at BBE and BoldItalic. She has developed fonts for companies such as Yandex, VKontakte, MTS, MegaFon, Arzamas, and many others. She is a finalist and winner of prestigious competitions, including D&AD, ADC Awards, Modern Cyrillic, Granshan, Morisawa Type Design Competition, and the Sreda festival.

Bureau of Books is celebrating its second anniversary! Over these two years, we have achieved significant success and gained valuable experience. Time has flown by, and we are grateful to everyone who has been with us along the way. We continue to evolve and strive to create high-quality content for you.

Before joining the bureau, I freelanced. This was a convenient format, but over time, problems and doubts began to arise. In this text, I will analyze the difficulties faced by designers working alone, and the reasons why specialists prefer to unite in teams.

Graduate of the Design Department at MPEI and a two-year course in Font and Typography at the British Graduated from the Higher School of Design. She has extensive experience as a typeface and graphic designer. She is the co-founder of the Byurobookv studio and a lecturer at BBE and BoldItalic. Her portfolio includes projects for companies such as Yandex, VKontakte, MTS, MegaFon, Arzamas, and many others. She is a finalist and winner of such prestigious competitions as D&AD, ADC Awards, Modern Cyrillic, Granshan, Morisawa Type Design Competition, and the Sreda Festival.

Sama-sama

Before working at Britanka and completely switching to a text format, I already had experience working in a team as a designer. Collaborating is always more engaging than working alone, but it comes with its own challenges.

I enjoy independently determining the appeal of a task and developing a visualization concept. When working for someone else, especially early in your career, you often encounter an art director or manager whose subjective opinion may not align with your vision. I didn't always agree with their point of view.

While studying on the font course, I decided to fully immerse myself in freelancing.

As often happens, a new designer begins by creating a portfolio and building a client base. I was lucky: my first clients were my friends, then their friends, and so my network gradually expanded. At the time, the number of designers specializing in lettering was limited, which allowed me to quickly gain a steady stream of projects.

Over time, I realized that it is impossible to cover all aspects of life and cope with all tasks at the same time.

In addition to creating graphics and writing texts, freelancers are faced with the need to work with documents, invoices, acts, and taxes. These tasks also require attention and resources, so it is important to allocate time for their completion. Another aspect of freelancing is attracting larger clients, which can be intimidating and intimidating for newcomers. Working with such clients requires a special approach and self-confidence.

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Determining an hourly rate for a designer is an important step in building a successful career. To properly calculate your hourly rate, there are several key factors to consider.

First, analyze your expenses. This includes both fixed costs, such as office space and equipment, and variable expenses, including taxes and insurance. Add up all these expenses to understand how much you need to earn to cover them.

Second, evaluate your skill level and experience. More experienced designers can charge higher rates because their services are in demand. Be sure to consider your skills and uniqueness that sets you apart from the competition.

Researching the market is also important. Analyze how much other designers in your field are earning. This will help you set a competitive rate. Keep in mind that costs can vary depending on the type of services you provide, whether it's graphic design, web design, or UX/UI.

Also, consider the number of hours you work per month. Determine how much time you're willing to devote to your work, and based on that, calculate how much you need to earn per hour to reach your financial goals.

Finally, don't be afraid to adjust your rate over time. As you gain experience and expand your portfolio, you can increase your prices to align with your level of expertise and market conditions. Setting an appropriate hourly rate is the key to a successful design career and financial stability.

Is it better to be overworked or overworked with an intern?

Friends and family began to notice that my workload was becoming excessive and advised me to take on an intern. However, I was concerned that this would lead to a decrease in my productivity. I felt like most of my time would be spent training someone else, explaining how to perform tasks, which could slow down my own workflow.

I realize I might be wrong, but I couldn't bring myself to accept an intern.

At that time, my current colleague at Byurobookv, Tanya Cherkiz, approached me with a proposal to join our team. She was also experiencing similar difficulties: a lack of resources and a lack of fresh perspective on processes. This is a truly important issue, since when you work alone for a long time, you begin to overlook certain aspects of your work. By joining forces, we not only increased efficiency but also looked at familiar tasks from a new angle.

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Collaborations are joint projects or initiatives involving two or more partners to achieve shared goals. Such collaborations can take many forms, including joint marketing campaigns, products, services, or events. Collaborations are essential for expanding audiences, increasing brand awareness, and creating new business opportunities.

There are several types of collaborations. For example, brands can join forces to create joint products, allowing them to leverage each other's strengths. Another option is joint advertising campaigns, which help increase visibility and attract new customers. Cross-promotions also exist, where two businesses advertise to each other, increasing reach and attracting new audiences.

A prime example of a successful collaboration is the partnership between Nike and Apple, which resulted in the creation of unique products combining sportswear and technology. Another example is the collaboration between Balenciaga and Crocs, where the designers created unusual and memorable shoes that received widespread public attention. The third example is the combination of forces between Starbucks and Spotify, which allows customers to enjoy music in the cafe and simultaneously access exclusive content.

Collaborations not only help brands stand out from the competition but also create new opportunities for innovation and growth. By working together, companies can achieve greater results and meet the needs of their target audience.

The Team

Tanya is truly wonderful. However, at that moment, I came up with the idea of ​​inviting a few more colleagues whose work I admired to join the team. This could significantly strengthen our team and improve the quality of the projects we carry out. The combination of talents and experiences of different specialists will create a unique atmosphere for creativity and achieving high results.

For the success of the collaboration, it was important to me that each member had a unique style and character, while demonstrating high professionalism. Although this may seem immodest, I believe in the importance of diversity in a team. So, I invited Tamara Arkatova and Kirill Sirotin to join us.

We became known as "Bureau of Books." Six months before our studio's official launch, we searched diligently for a suitable name, considering many options. Ultimately, we settled on one of our first suggestions. It accurately reflects our activity – creating unique letters and fonts.

At the beginning of our collaboration, I was concerned about how we would interact with each other. We had no experience working on projects together, and I was worried about how we would divide responsibilities and fees. It's important to understand who is responsible for what to ensure effective collaboration and achieve success.

As a result, as if by magic, all processes began to function automatically. We regularly hold calls to discuss tasks and processes, allowing us to work harmoniously and productively. We all actively participate in writing, communicate, and manage documents, which facilitates effective teamwork.

Teamwork reduces anxiety and allows us to confidently approach complex projects. Now we can confidently take on large tasks from demanding clients, knowing that our colleagues will support us and help us through difficult moments. The coordinated work of eight hands and four minds increases the chances of creating higher-quality and more interesting solutions. Teamwork facilitates the exchange of ideas and improves the final result, which, in turn, increases client satisfaction and strengthens the company's reputation.

The unity of our team has become the key advantage of our studio. We create multiple sketches, sketching out ideas simultaneously. This allows us to produce the most diverse sketches possible, which benefits both our clients and us. As a result, we rarely have situations where a "second round of sketches" is required.

What We Became When We Grew Up

We are a creative bureau specializing in unique work with typography. Our team offers font creation services, but we are also passionate about experimenting, creating display and vibrant graphic solutions. Our goal is to offer original and memorable fonts that will highlight the individuality of your brand and attract the attention of your audience.

Creating a lettering or logo usually involves a predictable process, where we start with sketches, and then the client's chosen version is finalized by the author. In contrast, work on fonts is more dynamic: the font is passed from one participant to another, and each person adds their own elements. This collaborative approach may resemble the interaction of a swan, a crayfish, and a pike, but in the end, everything comes together to form a harmonious solution.

As a former freelancer with experience, I have realized the importance of teamwork. Teamwork provides support and access to the knowledge and skills of colleagues. This eliminates the need to train others, as the team already includes professionals with the necessary competencies. Collaboration not only increases efficiency but also facilitates the exchange of ideas and solutions, which ultimately leads to higher-quality results.

To find like-minded people, it's important to be open-minded and share your skills with others. Demonstrate your skills through high-quality execution and clear communication. Only then will you attract people who share your interests and values. Your efforts will certainly bear fruit.

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• In the beginning there was a letter, and I wanted to draw it
• Children's questions about fonts
• What is a bad font?